Resolutions for the Broken Hearted
by twirlingdevine
Summary: With a new year about to begin, a freshly twenty-three Namine starts to lose faith in her dream of finding love. But a thoughtful resolution and a late-night booze bus could change her life forever. [RxN, Oneshot]


Hello lovelies! Today I have a little oneshot for you, just in time for the end of the year! I hope it makes you giggle, smile, and look forward to the possibilities of the new year! Enjoy!

x-x-x

Paint was splattered all across the desk. Papers with sketches were strewn about, brushes and markers were scattered, and the blonde girl making the mess was dripping spots of water all over her clothes. But she didn't care - Namine was in her element.

Huffing from the heat, Namine pulled her blonde locks over one shoulder and continued to paint. On the far corner of the desk lay some stapled documents, the intricate detail of her illustration contract. She had wasted no time getting started on the opportunity she'd been waiting all her life for. Fresh out of art school, with her first children's book illustration deal, Namine could easily say her dreams were coming true.

Of course, things would be slightly better if half her body wasn't savaged with a nasty sunburn, the tan lines from her shirt making patches of pale skin on her back. Her nose was beet red and she prayed to the gods of sunburns that her scalp wouldn't peel. Such was the harsh sun on Destiny Islands, even when the weather forecast said otherwise. Namine would never trust that weather man again.

She added the final touches to her piece - a whimsical fairytale scene - before she looked at her phone and realised the time.

"Shoot! I'm gonna be late!"

Namine changed quickly into a purple sundress, whacked her hair up in twin buns, grabbed her purse and flung out the door - forgetting about the paint stains and vacant sunburn. There was no time for make-up when it came to seeing the girls.

x-x-x

"Oh Namine - dear, sweet Namine..."

Selphie clucked her tongue as she saw the blonde girl entering the restaurant, a wily smirk tugging at her lips. Kairi burst into fervent giggles; Olette looked up at her sympathetically.

"I told you it was bad." Namine sighed, sitting down with the girls.

"I haven't seen you this badly burnt since year 7 swimming sports," Kairi laughed, examining the very clear lines where the straps of her shirt once were. "You weren't even red on your birthday!"

Namine shook her head in disbelief. "I know - after I got home I just turned into a lobster."

Selphie smiled mischievously. "Now you can go find your lobster!"

The classic Friends quote made Namine laugh, but she shook her head defiantly. "I definitely do _not_ want to meet my lobster looking like this."

"It was a great day though," Olette quipped, beginning to scan the menu, "The beach, the theme park... I felt like a kid again!"

Selphie smirked again, resting her head on her hand. "Yes, I think our poor Namine is trying to escape her age."

"Hey, if I could turn twenty one again, I would," the blonde said earnestly, "It would give me another chance to find that lobster!"

"I told you we should have just gone wingmanning for your birthday!" Kairi giggled with a waggle of her finger. "I would've found you a great guy. There were a few cute guys on the beach!"

"They were all way out of my league," Namine shook her head.

"Not with that attitude, missy!" The redhead put her hands to her waist and pulled her sternest look. Namine giggled at her best friend's antics.

"Don't worry about it, Nam," Olette patted the girl on the shoulder, but quickly retreated when she cringed in pain. "Sorry - look, you're only 23. You're still really young."

Namine tried to smile despite herself, but the topic of her age was one she tried to avoid as much as possible. "Easy for you guys to say. You all have boyfriends."

"You just have to get back in the game," Selphie offered, taking a sip of the cocktail she ordered earlier. "You haven't dated in like... 3 years?"

"Come on guys, don't bum me out on New Year's Eve... Let's just have fun!"

"Right! The matchmaking will start tomorrow!" Kairi smiled, lifting her glass.

Fun and easy banter began between the four girls, but thoughts of the future whirled in the back of Namine's mind. She wondered if having such a bad breakup all those years ago had been the reason why she hadn't dated in so long. She hadn't thought about Riku in a long time, and tried to purge her thoughts of him immediately. It was so long ago... A wonderful, devastating, heartbreaking relationship that she'd rather forget.

Of course, Namine also knew her career didn't exactly call for a lot of in-person networking. Other than work and uni, she rarely left the house, needing only her studio to create beautiful artwork. Even with her outgoing girlfriends, Namine found she was at her best when alone. She was definitely an introvert, but sometimes she wished she wasn't. Why couldn't she just go out and mingle, and meet someone? But the very thought turned her insides into jelly. No, at home in her studio was where she wanted to be.

Every year, Namine would think about how she'd do things differently, and get out of her comfort zone to meet someone. And every year, she wound up relying on the next. Guilt prickled suddenly; Namine knew how very lucky she was. Sitting here with her best friends on New Year's Eve, having fun, while having just been offered her dream job, Namine was truly elated. But she knew something was missing, and deep down, the most cherished wish of all was bursting to reveal itself... The want to read the books she illustrated to her own children one day, with her partner by her side.

Namine wondered if she was just being foolish trying to have it all, being the way she was. The thoughts blurred together in her mind, and she supposed the cocktail wasn't helping...

"Okay guys, what are your resolutions for the new year?" Selphie asked with excitement, looking from one girl to the next.

"Mine is to get Sora to stop sleep talking," Kairi joked, earning a laugh from the girls. "Seriously, it needs to stop! I'll never get promoted if I'm sleep deprived. Which is my real resolution, by the way."

"Nice one. Olette?" She turned to the brunette-haired girl, who was swirling her drink absent-mindedly.

"Oh, I don't know... Maybe get perfect marks next semester?"

Selphie rolled her eyes. "You always get perfect marks, girl! Thank goodness this is your last year of uni. Namine?" She turned to the blonde with purpose, half-expecting to know the answer.

"Let me think..."

All the thoughts that had been ringing through her head had reminded Namine of the heartache and frustration of being alone, and how she shouldn't let it affect her already amazing life. No, she needed to stop dwelling on what she didn't have, and focus on what she _did_ have.

Namine had decided.

"My resolution is to stop looking for love."

All three girls dropped their jaws in confusion.

"What!?"

"Serious?"

"Don't you want to find your lobster!?"

Namine shook her head. "They say the second you stop looking for love, you'll find it. I'm sick of thinking about it all the time... I just want to live my life and be happy and let the chips fall where they may, you know?" She waited for the criticism from the girls, but none came.

"That's actually a great way of looking at it," Olette offered, nodding in agreement.

Selphie concurred. "You gotta do you, girl. We support you no matter what!"

Kairi nodded. "Totally! But can I still look out for your lobster on the side?"

Namine giggled, amazed at how she ever deserved friends as wonderful as these girls. "Of course you can. This is my own change."

"They say the mind is a powerful thing. You just never know," Olette smiled. "It could be a sign of good things to come."

Namine smiled back. She had always believed in signs herself, but this time decided to ignore the signs - and just live happily.

x-x-x

 _Perhaps my resolution should have been to always wear sunscreen..._ Namine thought dismally as she started driving towards a booze bus. Cars were lined up waiting for the police to test them, and Namine fervently hoped the lights from the cars wouldn't illuminate her shiny, red skin. That would be just what she needed to boost her self esteem.

After slowly crawling towards the van, Namine finally pulled up next to an officer and wound her window down. It was a lovely, balmy night, and the sound of people shouting and laughing could be heard all around, and fireworks were cracking in the distance.

"Good evening ma'am - woah," the officer's eyes bulged as he saw the blonde girl. "I see we forgot to slip on our sunscreen!"

"You're telling me," Namine smiled, her voice a little shaky. She was quite sure the cocktail she'd had would have gone through her by now, but the sight of police lights still turned her legs to jelly. "Twenty one and cloudy, said the weatherman."

The officer laughed, and Namine was suddenly struck by the wonderful, soft raspiness of his voice. He was quite a young officer - sharp, dirty blonde spikes were shooting out from under his police cap, and he was cleanly shaven with ever the slightest podge to his cheeks. He was definitely gorgeous - and yet another guy that was definitely out of her league. Which was okay, because Namine wasn't looking for love.

"So, have you got big plans for New Year's Eve?" He asked, probably trying to pry information about her drinking that night.

"No big plans," Namine answered, watching him ready the breathalyser test. "I'll probably be in bed before midnight."

"Really?" He looked shocked, or mildly intrigued; it was hard to tell in the darkness. "Big night ahead then, huh?" He smiled.

"Yep, just the way I like it!" She laughed, relaxing a little bit. "What about you? Will you be working into the new year?"

"Unfortunately," He nodded solemnly, seemingly fiddling with the device. "Getting nice people like you makes my job easier though."

The blonde girl smiled knowingly, having worked in retail and was mindful of the virtues of pleasant customers. "At least you'll get to see some fireworks," Namine offered with a smile. She wondered why it was so easy making small chat with this police officer when talking to cute guys normally made her an incoherent mess, but his smile seemed to assure her somehow. Or maybe her new resolution had allowed her confidence to soar, given she'd thrown caution to the wind. Or maybe the cocktail really was still in her system, she thought with a smirk.

"I suppose, but I'd rather be in bed too, honestly," He said with a light chuckle, now looking Namine in the eyes. He narrowed them slightly then, squinting against the blue-red lights of the police car. "Is that... paint on your cheek?"

Namine furrowed her brow, then reached up to feel her skin - inevitably, she felt dry paint against her left cheek. "Er... Yes. I guess my friends failed to tell me I still had paint on me." Namine made a mental note to scold them later.

"So you're an artist?" He smiled, the device in his hand seemingly ready but his attention on Namine. She saw a look of awe in his eyes and smiled bashfully. She supposed he saw rather unlawful people on a regular basis and didn't mind a normal conversation... But she had to wonder what his intentions were.

"Yeah - I actually just recently got a contract to illustrate a children's book."

"Wow, congrats!" He said with genuine vigour, now resting his hand against the roof of her car. Namine felt something churning inside her. Was this guy... Hitting on her?

No way. Cute guys did not hit on Namine. Ever. Only semi-cute guys with bad haircuts and a tendency to break hearts flirted with Namine. This guy seemed so... Genuine. He couldn't possibly be, though. He probably hit on girls all the time.

But it didn't matter, Namine decided to herself, because she wasn't looking for love. Period. She would just take the test and, hopefully after not getting arrested, go home to bed. Though she had to vouch that the longer this guy chatted her up, the more time her liver had to work it's magic.

Prompted only with a shy smile, the blonde boy continued; "I really like art but I can't draw to save my life. What kind of artwork do you do?" Namine hesitated, causing the boy to stumble. "Sorry, I know you already said children's illustration," he scratched his neck in embarrassment, "but what kind of things do you like to draw?"

Namine couldn't help but smirk. She might not be looking for love but she was definitely enjoying his cute quirks. "Mostly people, I suppose. I tend to get my inspiration from real life, or photography."

He perked up immediately at her last word. "That's amazing. I kind of dabble in photography myself, though I doubt my work would inspire you." He cocked his head with a sheepish grin.

Oh. No. He. Didn't.

He did _not_ just tell Namine that he, a cute, well-mannered guy, was into photography!? The one medium that inspired Namine more than most and made her heart tug a little tighter and her brain shout 'Marry him! Marry him!' because her one wish for her future children was to preserve their childhood in beautiful photos!?

Namine couldn't help the smile that tugged at her lips even as she reminded herself of her resolution. "Really? I absolutely love photography. It's one of my favourite inspirations for my art."

"Well, my photography isn't amazing or anything..." He scratched the back of his head sheepishly, "But I bet your art is amazing."

Namine gripped her steering wheel tighter, a smile from ear to ear, her sunburn shameless for the blush appearing on her cheeks.

The silence became palpable and the officer finally remembered his call of duty. "Oh, er, so we're just doing a random alcohol test today. I'll just get you to blow into my stick- th-the stick!" He cringed at his words, holding out the breathelyser machine, "until I say stop..."

Namine tried to suppress her giggles as she blew into the machine until it beeped, then pulled away anxiously, remembering she could very well be over the limit, even though the chances were slim. She normally never drank a drop of alcohol, but Selphie had insisted she celebrate her resolution in style.

The blonde officer stared at the monitor red-faced until it beeped again. "You're all clear."

Namine had expected as much, but she let out a silent sigh of relief just the same. "Thank you."

"I won't hold you up from your exciting evening," He smiled, clutching the machine tightly.

"It's gonna be pretty wild, in bed before ten," Namine quipped with a smile. There was an awkward silence as Namine wasn're sure if she should drive off or not. He tentatively pulled out a booklet from his pocket, and Namine quirked her eyebrows.

"Don't worry, I'm not writing a ticket," He laughed, "I was just wondering if you had a website or blog where you showed you art?"

Namine's insides burst with pride. When people were interested in her artwork she always swelled with joy, and it was at that moment she decided this guy was definitely genuine. In her moment of elation, she relaxed her foot a little too much and her car jerked forward a touch - "Ah!" - she quickly hit the brake again, embarrassed. "O-Oh - of course, yes! I'd love to. Do you have a page for your photography?"

"Just a small one for family and friends, but I'll write it down for you," He smiled, clearly chuffed that Namine was interested. He tore two tickets off and handed one to Namine to write her website down. After she handed it to him, he folded his up carefully and gave it to her.

"Safe drive home, okay?" He smiled, leaning down to see her. Namine suddenly became aware again of her dramatic sunburn, but she didn't shy away.

"I will. Thank you."

Namine drove away from the officer, and in the short distance from there to her house, she couldn't wipe the smile from her face.

x-x-x

Back at home, already in her jammies and ready for bed, Namine settled into her studio chair for a quick once-over of the day's work. As she did, she picked up the ticket she'd placed when she got home and carefully unfolded it. Over the top of the unused infringement notice was thick, messy handwriting. A website, a name... And a phone number.

 _I've never done this before in my life, but you're the cutest sunburned artist I've ever met, and I hope I can get to know you._

 _Roxas._

Roxas...

Namine couldn't help it. She let out her inner teenager and squealed in delight. How had this happened!? Her resolution worked faster than she'd ever imagined.

But maybe... Maybe it really was the change in herself that mattered the most. The defiance of finding love had allowed her to be truly herself in front of his gorgeous guy, and for that he saw past her raw, sunburned skin and wanted to get to know the real her.

It was the first time Namine had found a resolution to work and she vowed to always make changes within herself. It was going to be a good year.

x-x-x

I hope you enjoyed this! This was very fun and cute to write. I love innocent officer Roxas who worked so hard on his career he never found his girl. Add in a heartbroken but resolute Namine and you have the cutest couple out! I was going to add a quick bit where Constable Axel teased Roxas for flirting with a girl, but I wanted to keep this Namine-centric, so enjoy that image :P Happy New Year, everyone! May your resolutions come true and serve to help you become the person you want to be!


End file.
